Townsend beats new generation at Nationals | "It means everything to me" | Sticky Bottle

*Rory Townsend wins the men's elite-U23 road race at the National Road Championships, promoted by Navan RC and Yellow Furze CC in Co Meath (Photo: Toby Watson)*

Three years after becoming national road race champion, after which his career took off, Rory Townsend (Q36.5 Cycling Team) has won the title for the second time in his career. The closest challenge came from the new generation of Irish riders as Townsend shared the podium with two U23s.

Jamie Meehan (AVC Aix Provence Dole) claimed the elite silver and, in the process, was crowned U23 men's national road race champion, two years after he first won the title. That duo, along with teenager Patrick Casey (Israel Premier Tech Academy) and defending champion Darren Rafferty (EF Education-EasyPost), raced into the finish in Yellow Furze, Co Meath, to fight it out for the medals.

But it was Townsend who had most in the tank - and the better sprint - after 168km of racing on a unforgiving day when the temperatures climbs - modest, but frequent - split the field very early.

“It sounds crazy but this just means so much, it’s the biggest thing for me, it means everything," said Townsend, who was on the brink of packing in his pro dream when he won in Co Cork three years ago, only to then secure his first pro contract, spending the last three season in the paid ranks.

"A National Championship is something you always want to win as a kid, and it makes you feel like a kid when you come back here. It’s the only race I come to with my family where they’re my support crew, and they have to put up with me the morning of the race, so it’s a big relief to pull it off.”

Meehan said while he wanted to win, he was happy to have secured the Irish U23 title, in what is his final year in that category.

“I knew if I could have went one more time, one more move, that that’d be the move, but I just didn’t have it. Disappointed to lose out to Townsend in the sprint but still delighted to take home the U23 title.”

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Townsend claimed victory in a sprint in the combined-U23 race by one second from Meehan, with Casey claiming the bronze medal - and the U23 silver.

Casey battled his way back into the lead group after being distance on the climbs during the passage of the final large circuit. He was then among those riders who came off best as the front group attacked each other into, and around, the 9.4km lap of the finishing circuit.

Casey was three seconds down in 3rd place, with last year's winner, Rafferty, was 4th, some six seconds down. Then came the remains of the breakaway, finishing 29 seconds down on the winner, led in by Seth Dunwoody (Bahrain Victorious Development).

Winning the sprint from that group secured 5th place on the day for Dunwoody, and bronze in the U23 category, which he adds to his U23 TT sliver from last Thursday night.

With Dunwoody in the chasing group were, in order: 6th place Finn Crockett (VolkerWessels Cycling Team), Gareth O'Neill (Athlete Nutrition Coach HD), Odhrán Doogan (Caldwell Cycles), Conn McDunphy (Team Skyline), Liam O'Brien (Lidl-Trek Future Racing) and Adam Rafferty (Hagens Berman Jayco).

There was than a gap to the 12th and 13th place finishers - Matti Dobbins (Mypad Racing) and TT champion Ryan Mullen (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe). They had both been in the breakaway but last contact late in the day, finishing 3:20 down on winner Townsend.

Dean Harvey (Martigues Sport Cyclisme) was the only other rider who had been in the 14-man breakaway. He finished 15th, at 6:28, after being caught and beaten by Cian Keogh (Team Skyline), who was 14th one second up on Harvey.

Men’s Elite-U23 Road Race (168.2km)